Xinhua News Agency, Moscow, May 15th High-end Interview | Building a Bright Future of Russia-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the New Era —— Interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Xinhua News Agency reporter Fan Weiguo Liu Kai
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a written interview with Xinhua News Agency on the eve of his state visit to China that Russia and China have promoted the prosperity and development of the two countries by expanding equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural fields; Strengthening foreign policy coordination and promoting the construction of a fair multipolar world order have determined the bright future of Russia-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.
Putin said that contemporary Russian-Chinese relations transcend ideology. No matter how the political situation changes, the multi-level development of bilateral relations is a conscious strategic choice, which is based on the fundamental interests of the two countries, in-depth mutual trust, strong public support and sincere friendship between the two peoples. The two countries have made joint efforts to safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.
"In a broader sense, we promote the prosperity and development of Russia and China by expanding equal and mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and cultural fields; By strengthening foreign policy coordination, we have promoted the construction of a fair multipolar world order. These all determine the bright future of our comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era. " Putin said.
He said that Russia-China partnership has always been based on the principles of equality and mutual trust, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other’s interests. Such a wise and far-sighted politician as Chairman of the Supreme Leader plays a decisive and unique role in the development of bilateral relations.
"I first met the Chairman of the Supreme Leader in March 2010. Since then, we have often met and talked. He showed a humble, friendly, frank and pragmatic style in communication. " Putin said that every meeting between the two is not only an exchange between old friends, but also a fruitful exchange of views on the most pressing issues on the bilateral and international agendas.
Putin recalled that in 2013, the Chairman of the Supreme Leader, as the head of state of China, made Russia his first visit country. After being re-elected as President People’s Republic of China (PRC) in March last year, the first visit of the Supreme Leader was a state visit to Russia. We spent nearly five hours together, held one-on-one in-depth talks, and attended rich formal activities the next day.
"It is the unprecedented high level of partnership between the two countries that made me decide to choose China as the first country to visit after I officially became president of the Russian Federation." Putin stressed.
He said that the Russian and Chinese peoples have a long and profound tradition of friendship and cooperation, which is also one of the most important foundations of bilateral relations. Today, Russian-Chinese relations have reached the highest level in history, and even in the face of the severe international situation, the relations between the two countries have continued to strengthen.
Putin pointed out that this year is a special year for both countries. October 1st will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China (PRC). China is welcoming this important historical moment with outstanding achievements. As a proven and reliable friend, Russia is pleased with China’s achievements. Over the past three-quarters of a century, the two countries have gone through a long and sometimes tortuous road, fully drawing on the historical experience of different stages of development of bilateral relations. Today, the two countries realize that complementary advantages are injecting strong impetus into the all-round and rapid development of bilateral relations.
When talking about pragmatic bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Putin pointed out that Russia-China economic and trade relations have developed rapidly, demonstrating the ability to continuously cope with external challenges and crises. In the past five years, the trade volume between the two countries has doubled. China has been Russia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, and in 2023, Russia rose to the fourth place in the ranking of China’s trading partners. More than 90% of the settlement between companies in the two countries is conducted in their own currencies.
Putin said that the two sides are carrying out strategic cooperation in the energy field continuously and systematically, and some new big projects are being launched. Russian supply of agricultural products to China market has a good momentum, initiatives in the fields of investment and production are being implemented, and the transportation and logistics corridor between the two countries is running steadily and growing.
"I am full of confidence in the grand prospects of Russia-China economic relations." Putin stressed that "Russia and China will strive to carry out closer cooperation in the fields of industry and high technology, space and peaceful use of nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and other innovations. We will also continue to create good legal and organizational conditions for this and develop transportation and financial infrastructure. "
This year and next are the years of Chinese and Russian culture. Putin believes that Russia and China are closely linked from generation to generation, not only because they have a long common border, but also because they maintain close cultural ties and personnel exchanges. Today’s Russian society has a high interest in China’s culture and art. At present, there are about 90,000 primary and middle school students studying Chinese in Russia. The creative group tours and exhibitions in which China artists participated have achieved great success. The tourist flow continues to soar, with more than 730,000 Russian citizens visiting China last year.
"I know that the people of China are also eager for a closer understanding of Russian literature, art and tradition. Our outstanding troupes and musicians regularly perform in China, and museums hold various exhibitions. We are very happy to continue to show China friends the rich and colorful history, creation and cultural heritage of multi-ethnic Russia. " Putin said.
Putin also shared his personal views on China’s culture: "I have always been deeply interested in further exploring the unique and unique China tradition, especially during my visit to China. I know a lot about China Wushu, which is very popular in Russia. I have great respect for China’s philosophy. My family is also fascinated by China, and some of them are learning Chinese. "
Putin spoke highly of the cooperation between Russia and China on the international stage. He pointed out that the two countries hold similar or identical positions on key issues on the international agenda. Both countries support the leading position of international law, and advocate the construction of balanced, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable global and regional security, while giving play to the core coordinating role of the United Nations. Russia and China do not accept the western attempt to impose an order based on lies, hypocrisy and imaginary rules.
At present, multilateral mechanisms such as the BRICS countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are uniting the countries of the "global South" in the spirit of equality, openness, transparency and tolerance, and promoting the reform of the global governance system. Putin said that with our active participation, some multilateral organizations and mechanisms independent of the West have been established and run smoothly, and their operating basis is the principles of equality, justice, openness, respect and consideration of each other’s interests.
"The SCO and the BRICS countries are convincing examples of this mutually beneficial cooperation. As the key fulcrum of the emerging multipolar world order, they have firmly established their position. The SCO and the BRICS countries have become the authoritative international platforms for vigorous development. Within their framework, the participants are carrying out constructive cooperation in the political, security, economic and humanities fields. What is enough to prove this is that other countries are increasingly interested in the activities of the SCO and the BRICS countries, and their membership is increasing. " Putin said.
Taking the expansion of staff as a new starting point, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has entered a new era of "big BRICS cooperation". Russia holds the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries this year. Putin said that Russia’s work as the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries is progressing steadily. Work in the three areas of cooperation, namely, political security, economy and finance, and people-to-people exchanges, has been carried out in an all-round way. Russian departments, business circles and all walks of life have prepared an extremely rich agenda. During the rotating presidency, more than 200 events are planned.
Putin said that one of the main goals of Russia’s rotating presidency of the BRICS countries is to promote the organic integration of new members into the BRICS countries and actively help them integrate into the existing cooperation mechanisms. Another key point is to continue to carry out coordination work, enhance the authority of BRICS countries in global affairs and enhance their ability to promote the construction of a more democratic, stable and just international relations system.
"BRICS cooperation adheres to the spirit of mutual respect, equality and open consultation. This is also the reason why this mechanism is so attractive to countries in the’ global South’ and’ global East’. In the eyes of these countries, the BRICS countries are a platform that allows their voices to be heard and valued. " Putin said.
Commenting on China’s ideas and efforts to solve the Ukrainian crisis politically, Putin said that Russia positively evaluated China’s position. China is well aware of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis and its global geopolitical influence, which is also reflected in the 12-point proposal of China’s Position on Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis issued by China in February 2023. The ideas and suggestions set forth in the document show our friends in China’s sincere desire to contribute to stabilizing the situation.
Putin emphasized that the four principles for the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis recently put forward by the Supreme Leader Chairman are an organic supplement to the above-mentioned documents. The pragmatic and constructive measures put forward by China are the development of ideas such as abandoning the cold war mentality, adhering to the principle of indivisibility of security, following the norms of international law and observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and paying attention to their comprehensiveness and interrelation.
Putin said that Russia has never refused to negotiate and hopes to solve this conflict comprehensively, sustainably and fairly through peaceful means. "We are open to dialogue on Ukraine, but these negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in this conflict, including Russia."
Putin also introduced the plans and goals for national construction during his new term. He said that the tasks set forth in the State of the Union address delivered on February 29 this year, such as promoting the development of various regions of the country, promoting economic and social development, increasing the birth rate, providing support for families with children, and eliminating poverty and inequality, are of great practical significance. "We know the scale of these tasks and how to solve them. We have the people’s will to unite, the necessary resources and potential, and the rich experience of cooperation between the state, enterprises and civil society. "
Putin pointed out that according to purchasing power parity, Russia is now among the top five in the world. Our task now is to become the fourth largest economy in the world, and the most important thing is to improve the quality and efficiency of development in various fields and enhance the well-being of Russian citizens.
Putin stressed that he believes that Russia can achieve all strategic plans. "In this regard, we are willing to cooperate with partners all over the world, including our good neighbor and reliable friend-China." (Participating in reporters: Jiang Qilin, Chen Ting, Huang He, Hua Di, Zhao Bing, Li Ao)